From picturesque towns to traditional folk fairs, there are a number of scenic day trips less than two hours from Buenos Aires.
Photo © iStock/holgs
Colonia del Sacramento
A 50-minute ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires, this cobblestoned gem is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay. Be sure to check out the Historic Quarter (a UNESCO World-Heritage site), La Calle de Los Suspiros (Street of Sighs), Faro Lighthouse, Puerta de la Ciudadela (drawbridge), and Paseo de San Gabriel, where you can watch the
In addition to Uruguayan pesos, businesses here will generally accept American dollars and Argentine pesos.
Ferry tickets can be purchased online via Buquebus, (
Feria de Mataderos
This popular outdoor street fair, located on the outskirts of the city in the Mataderos neighborhood, is an hour by a public bus from central Buenos Aires.
The fair takes place every Sunday (approximately March-December). Visitors can explore gaucho culture, enjoy folk music, join in the dance performances, taste
Or pop into the Museo de Criollo de
Tigre
Ask a porteño (local) to suggest a day trip, and chances are they’ll recommend Tigre, a small river town on the Parana Delta 20mi (32km) outside of Buenos Aires. You can get here in about an hour on the Mitre train which runs every 10 minutes from the Retiro Station for US $0.50 ($12 ARS) round trip.
Tigre’s main attraction is a boat tour through the Parana Delta, where you can soak up the lush countryside while learning the history of the area. These tours can be booked leaving from Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires or, more casually and on the spot, from Tigre's river port.
Afterward, explore the ornate Museo de Arte Tigre, once a luxury hotel (
San Antonio de Areco
Take a break from the city and spend a day discovering rural gaucho and ranch culture.
San Antonio de Areco, a small, charming town in the Pampas (fertile and flat plains) surrounding Buenos Aires, is a 90-minute drive along the famous Pan American Highway or a two-hour bus ride from the Retiro bus station in downtown Buenos Aires.
This town is famously known as the setting for Don Segundo Sombra, the 1920s gaucho novel by Ricardo Güiraldes. In the town’s Parque Criollo you’ll find the Ricardo Güiraldes Gaucho Museum, dedicated to the author and his work, as well as gaucho culture.
The town also boasts Las Lilas de Areco Museum, showcasing the work of artist Don Florencio Molina Campos, and the Museo Draghi, a private silverware collection
Don't miss the Ruiz de Arellano main square, the San Antonio de Padua Church, and lovely Estancia La Portena de Areco, home of Ricardo Güiraldes. Be sure to stop in at La Esquina de Merti, an atmospheric pulperia (rural tavern) on the corner of the Ruiz de Arellano.
In November, this normally quiet town comes alive for the Fiesta de la Tradicion, which draws gauchos from all over the country.
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